Trump Made Chair of Kennedy Center as Its President Is Fired [View all]
Source: New York Times
Trump Made Chair of Kennedy Center as Its President Is Fired
The president solidified his grip on the performing arts complex as the center's longtime president, Deborah F. Rutter, was fired.
Deborah F. Rutter at the 46th Annual Kennedy Center Honors event in Washington in 2023. She said on Wednesday that she was stepping down as president of the Kennedy Center. Pool photo by Ron Sachs
By Javier C. Hernndez and Robin Pogrebin
https://www.nytimes.com/by/javier-c-hernandez
https://www.nytimes.com/by/robin-pogrebin
Feb. 12, 2025
Updated 4:28 p.m. ET
President Trump was made chairman of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, he announced on Wednesday, cementing his grip on an institution that he recently purged of Biden appointees. ... The center's longtime president, Deborah F. Rutter, was then fired from her position, the center said. Richard Grenell, a Trump loyalist who was ambassador to Germany during the first Trump administration, was appointed the center's interim president.
Mr. Trump posted on social media: "It is a Great Honor to be Chairman of The Kennedy Center, especially with this amazing Board of Trustees. We will make The Kennedy Center a very special and exciting place!" ... Mr. Grenell visited the center on Wednesday, according to an official at the center. ... The center announced on Wednesday a new slate of board members -- all appointed by Mr. Trump -- and said in a statement that the new board elected Mr. Trump chairman and "terminated" Ms. Rutter's contract.
{snip}
The Kennedy Center has historically been run by bipartisan boards in the past. On Monday, the Trump administration officially removed 18 board members who had been appointed by former President Joseph R. Biden Jr., and the board chairman, the financier David M. Rubenstein. ... The center posted a revised list of board members on its website on Wednesday that showed how much things had changed.
While the board had been roughly split between Biden and Trump appointees until recently, it is now entirely made up of appointees of Mr. Trump. The new board includes a litany of Trump loyalists, including the president's chief of staff, Susie Wiles; Dan Scavino, a longtime Trump aide; and Usha Vance, the wife of Vice President JD Vance. ... Ms. Rutter, the center's president since 2014, said last month that she planned to step down at the end of the year.
Javier C. Hernndez reports on classical music, opera and dance in New York City and beyond. More about Javier C. Hernndez
Robin Pogrebin, who has been a reporter for The Times for nearly 30 years, covers arts and culture. More about Robin Pogrebin
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/12/us/politics/trump-kennedy-center-chairman.html
When you fire everyone on the board who hurts your feelings, things like that will happen.
Hat tip, Joe.My.God.
https://www.joemygod.com/2025/02/glorious-leader-im-honored-to-be-unanimously-elected-kennedy-center-chair-he-fired-entire-board/
Glorious Leader: "It's A Great Honor To Be Unanimously Elected Kennedy Center Chair" (He Fired Entire Board)
February 12, 2025
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